Koh Rong Story

Koh Rong is Cambodia’s largest island, 30 square miles of white sand beaches dotted with palm trees and dense inland jungle. There are five villages on the island that together house close to 2,000 people. This particular village, Koh Roung, and its 170 inhabitants sit in a prime location; right next to the tourist-attracting Dive Shop as well as three nearby western resorts that make up most of the half dozen attractions on the island. The inhabitants of Koh Roung village have lived here for about twenty years now, yet in 2008 the Royal Group, an enormous Cambodian conglomerate, was given exclusive access to the relatively undeveloped Koh Rong island. The chairman of the company, Kith Meng, is quoted in an eHotelier.com article, “Cambodia's tourism has so far focused almost exclusively on the world famous temples of Angkor Wat, but the potential of this beautiful coastline is the missing link in the development of our tourism sector.” Such development could have a beneficial economic impact for the locals, yet threats of eviction currently haunt many villagers’ aspirations for the future. Only time will tell whether Koh Rong will become yet another beautiful locale overdeveloped by commercial interests or a culturally sensitive eco-friendly paradise.

The Dive Shop pier, to the left, can hold upwards of 20 overnight visitors in two rooms. Meals are cooked by local women employed by the Shop and local men are paid to fill air tanks and bring divers to the dive sites. Approaching the pier is the twice-daily ferry, which carries food and tourists the two hours from the mainland.

Koh Roung village is made up of roughly 170 people, most of whom live in homes without electricity or running water. Still, the Dive Shop's presence has brought tourists to the area, sanitary water to the village, and quality paying jobs.

Paradise Bungalows, owned by Rudy Schmittlein, is one of three tourist resorts within walking distance from the Dive Shop pier and provides work for many of the locals. Rudy has begun paying rent to the Royal Group, who recently purchased a 99-year lease on the island, in hopes that Paradise will be allowed to continue among the coming developments.

A Koh Roung village woman restrings Sihanoukville fishermen's nets on her front porch. The village was initially established in 1992 for crabbing, but the supply dried up and villagers had to look elsewhere for money. This is one of only a few job opportunities left in the village.

A Koh Roung village woman cleans the detritus out of Sihanoukville fishermen's nets on the beach. The dead animals, mostly crabs and starfish, are thrown into a nearby stream that, by the time it reaches the ocean, is dark with human and animal waste.

The men of Koh Roung village spend the majority of each day drinking and gambling. With little work to go around, the card and bingo games provide entertainment and help pass the time. If the Royal Group allows the village to remain where it now stands, the villagers hope to work in the coming tourist establishments.

Village children capture and store crickets, after ripping their back legs off to prevent escape, in a plastic cup to eat later. Meals always include rice and generally a boiled vegetable, usually potato or morning glory. There are also a number of chickens in the village, and access to fresh fruit is determined by the ferry's schedule.

A baby rests on his mother's shoulder as she watches an afternoon game of bingo. Children wear the same clothing every day and are often afflicted with lice and poor teeth. The Dive Shop does what it can to bring doctors to the island who provide some onsite medical services free of charge.

Piles of trash, a testament to the mostly unused incinerator shown, litter the woods behind the village and plastic glitters throughout the town's mud paths. The incinerator was provided by the Dive Shop in hopes of solving the village's trash problem, yet it has proven difficult to get the locals to treat waste disposal seriously.

Dennis Funke the Dive Shop manager(just out of frame to the left), speaks to Mr. Sroy (left) and Mr. Boon (center) through Davi the translator (right). With all the support the Dive Shop provides to the villagers, Dennis is frustrated with Mr. Boon's reluctance to offer government help as well. This particular conversation focused on the unused incinerator. Mr. Boon was also convinced to contribute wood to the nearby toilet project.

Mr. Sroy, the man hired to help build two toilets for the village, clears brush away from the build site. Members of Operation Groundswell, a Canadian volunteer organization, work at right to pick up and incinerate the village's trash.

Local children play with their temporary English teachers, a touring group from Toronto-based Operation Groundswell, after a forty-five minute lesson. The Dive Shop strives to provide English teachers whenever possible.

A member of Operation Groundswell, a Toronto-based volunteer and travel organization, stamps childrens' hands after an English lesson. It is crucial that they are prepared for the work, and foreign tourists, the coming resorts will bring. The Royal Group is currently building an island road and airport, with plans including a marina and golf course as well. The building is on a 25-year timeline.

Children fish for their dinner at the end of one of Koh Roung's piers. The future is yet unsure for those on Koh Rong. Big developments are ahead and only time will tell whether the Royal Group will move the village to make way for beach resorts.